mobile_experience_cx

What is the single most important element shaking up the way we live and connect with the world? Mobile connectivity is the word. Since the Internet walked out of our houses, business is constantly reinventing itself to answer the needs of always-connected customers.

With the spread of smartphones, the customer journey goes digital, forcing organizations to rethink how they engage with clients and employees. The mobile customer experience, thus, becomes top priority if you want to succeed in a new era of mobile as the real first screen.

Mobility works as a seamless bridge between the digital experience of virtual networks and the traditional involvement in the physical world. 60% of total time spent online goes to mobile platforms (ComScore). In opposition to the old prejudice that “phones are not made for marketing”, the smartphone (together with tablet and smartwatch) has enabled a revolution both for society and business.

MOBILE SOCIETY

We are entirely involved in a new era of social relations, a moment of passage defined as the mobile mind shift (Forrester). In this era, both the elder generations and the millennials see their analog lives enriched by disruptive technologies. Different objects and devices (from the iBeacon to the Internet of Things), all connected in a new communication and media paradigm.

MOBILE BUSINESS

As customers become increasingly mobile and the mobile commerce spending grows, traditional customer journey needs a complete overhaul. The Age of the Customer requires that you are able to step out of your brand-centric vision and opt for your customer’s point of view. Only then you will be able to trace all critical touch points to improve your customer experience.

INEVITABLE MOBILE ONLY

Mobile technology has enabled us all to carry the entire world in our pocket, and with that power we are becoming more informed, more demanding and less private (Facebook will always win over Ello & Co.). There is a great opportunity for brands to stand out and become the first reference for customers when they make their purchase decision.

Following this stream of evolution, mobile devices can’t be reduced to tools to drive innovation and industry efficiency, just like the steam engine was not only the fuel of the industrial revolution. Mobile builds a whole new ecosystem that can transform experiences, creating a new standard for all things marketing.

Altimeter Group recently highlighted the opportunities and challenges posed by the rise of mobility, focusing on “how organizations can approach mobile design strategy through the lens of the evolving connected customer”. The report was called, not by coincidence, “The Inevitability of a Mobile-Only Customer Experience”.

The heart of the matter? Mobile is already the main reference for connected customers. Companies that invest - starting right now - in mobile first (or, even better, mobile only) strategies will rapidly take the lead and ensure that their brand stays top of mind.

KEEP UP WITH MOBILE

Problem 1: mobile is often still treated as one of the many parts of customer experience management; something coming from outside, an add-on for digital marketing strategy, not part of the brand’s DNA. This idea usually leads to low budget allocation and a silos mentality that keeps out the necessary development of an omni-channel journey.

Problem 2: companies still focus more on technology than customers. They go mobile for mobile’s sake. They do not draw the customer journey map, nor analyze or take into account behaviors, desires, expectations. As a result, they easily lose sight of what the delivered customer experience should be.

Keeping up with market evolution is just the beginning of the long way leading you to become a true customer-obsessed brand. Technology is most effective when it is invisible:

“Mobile is both part of the customer experience and also emerging as a self-contained experiential platform. consumer expectations are evolving to demand dedicated mobile experiences that go beyond mobile-optimized websites, landing pages, content for the smaller screen, or basic branded apps, all for the sake of being present.” (Altimeter).

BUILD MOBILE CUSTOMER EXPERIENCE

If you don’t re-think your business, and even your identity, an app will never be the cure-all for your digital marketing problems; the iBeacon itself will not ensure engagement or drive more customers in-store; the Internet of Things will not make your organization smarter; push notifications will not enhance your customer retention and make you an A-list choice.

Mobile strategy in itself doesn’t mean positive mobile customer experience, unless you embrace - and take care of - the mobile-only customer journey. Following the report above mentioned, let’s see the 4 steps to improve the experience of your mobile customers.

  • Map the journey - the customer journey map is a framework that depicts how clients and prospects connect with your brand and product across all touch points, digital and traditional. Mobile is now integral part of this journey, and it's becoming an experience unto itself.
  • Shape mobile experience - customers demand that you are able to reach them and offer them what they need, wherever they are and whatever device they are using. The rule is: optimize the mobile journey to win each moment of truth.
  • Track and measure - there is no customer experience if you don't understand your customers and how they interact with you. In the era of Big Data, that means you need to develop the ability to make sense of all information gathered by digital and analog tracking.
  • Think and teach mobile - you can create the best digital strategy ever but if mobile is not a shared vision you won't achieve the long-awaited results. Your employees are the key to deliver great customer experience. Empower employees, engage employees, only then you will be sure you lead a customer-centric mobile first company.

Executives who have done so are already seizing the mobile moment. Are you?

YOU MIGHT ALSO LIKE: 4 Ways Customer Journey Mapping Will Boost Customer Experience

To help you ensure a strategic advantage to your organization, learn about the DCX 7-Steps Checklist crafted by Neosperience, with requirements and insights for a successful digital transformation.

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